System method and computer program product for transferring unregistered callers to a registration process

ABSTRACT

A system, method and computer program product are provided for handling unregistered callers in a voice recognition framework. Initially, it is determined whether a user is registered. If it is determined that the user is not registered, a registration process is executed. Once registered, utterances may be received from the user and recognized for the purpose of providing a service to the user.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to speech recognition systems, andmore particularly to providing services using speech recognition.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Techniques for accomplishing automatic speech recognition (ASR)are well known. Among known ASR techniques are those that use grammars.A grammar is a representation of the language or phrases expected to beused or spoken in a given context. In one sense, then, ASR grammarstypically constrain the speech recognizer to a vocabulary that is asubset of the universe of potentially-spoken words; and grammars mayinclude subgrammars. An ASR grammar rule can then be used to representthe set of “phrases” or combinations of words from one or more grammarsor subgrammars that may be expected in a given context. “Grammar” mayalso refer generally to a statistical language model (where a modelrepresents phrases ), such as those used in language understandingsystems.

[0003] ASR systems have greatly improved in recent years as betteralgorithms and acoustic models are developed, and as more computer powercan be brought to bear on the task. An ASR system running on aninexpensive home or office computer with a good microphone can take free-form dictation, as long as it has been pre -trained for the speaker'svoice. Over the phone, and with no speaker training, a speechrecognition system needs to be given a set of speech grammars that tellit what words and phrases it should expect. With these constraints asurprisingly large set possible utterances can be recognized (e.g., aparticular mutual fund name out of thousands). Recognition over mobilephones in noisy environments does require more tightly pruned andcarefully crafted speech grammars, however. Today there are manycommercial uses of ASR in dozens of languages, and in areas as disparateas voice portals, finance, banking, telecommunications, and brokerages.

[0004] Advances are also being made in speech synthesis, ortext-to-speech (TTS). Many of today's TTS systems still sound like“robots”, and can be hard to listen to or even at timesincomprehensible. However, waveform concatenation speech synthesis isnow being deployed. In this technique, speech is not completelygenerated from scratch, but is assembled from libraries of pre-recordedwaveforms. The results are promising.

[0005] In a standard speech recognition/synthesis system, a database ofutterances is maintained for administering a predetermined service. Inone example of operation, a user may utilize a telecommunication networkto communicate utterances to the system. In response to suchcommunication, the utterances are recognized utilizing speechrecognition, and processing takes place utilizing the recognizedutterances. Thereafter, synthesized speech is outputted in accordancewith the processing. In one particular application, a user may verballycommunicate a street address to the speech recognition system, anddriving directions may be returned utilizing synthesized speech.

[0006] Problems may exist when administrating a speechrecognition/synthesis system such as the one set forth hereinabove. Forexample, a user may call and request a service that requires moreinformation associated with the user before the service can bedelivered. For example, a service may require payment. Therefore, incertain situations, there may be a need for information, i.e. billingaddress, credit card number, etc., before the service can be rendered.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0007] A system, method and computer program product are provided forhandling unregistered callers in a voice recognition framework.Initially, it is determined whether a user is registered. If it isdetermined that the user is not registered, a registration process isexecuted. Once registered, utterances may be received from the user andrecognized for the purpose of providing a service to the user.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, the registrationprocess may include the collection of information. As an option, theinformation may include at least one phone number of the user, a genderof the user, billing information, an address of the user, a city inwhich the user resides, and/or preferences of the user. In one aspect ofthe present invention, the preferences may include, personalizationinformation, data relating to a stock portfolio of the user, and sportsof interest to the user.

[0009] In another embodiment of the present invention, the informationmay be entered by the user utilizing a computer coupled to a network,i.e. the Internet. In another embodiment, the information may be enteredverbally utilizing a telephone. In still another embodiment, theinformation may be entered verbally by way of an attendant.

[0010] It should be noted that the information may be used whenproviding the service by modifying, enhancing, etc. the same. As anoption, promotion information may be provided to the user during theregistration process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011]FIG. 1 illustrates one exemplary platform on which one embodimentof the present invention may be implemented;

[0012]FIG. 2 shows a representative hardware environment associated withthe computer systems of FIG. 1;

[0013]FIG. 3 illustrates a method for handling unregistered callers in avoice recognition framework;

[0014]FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the method for registering auser, in accordance with the process of FIG. 3; and

[0015]FIG. 5 is a schematic illustrating the manner in which VoiceXMLfunctions, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016]FIG. 1 illustrates one exemplary platform 150 on which the presentinvention may be implemented. The present platform 150 is capable ofsupporting voice applications that provide unique business services.Such voice applications may be adapted for consumer services or internalapplications for employee productivity.

[0017] The present platform of FIG. 1 provides an end-to-end solutionthat manages a presentation layer 152, application logic 154,information access services 156, and telecom infrastructure 159. Withthe instant platform, customers can build complex voice applicationsthrough a suite of customized applications and a rich development toolset on an application server 160. The present platform 150 is capable ofdeploying applications in a reliable, scalable manner, and maintainingthe entire system through monitoring tools.

[0018] The present platform 150 is multi-modal in that it facilitatesinformation delivery via multiple mechanisms 162, i.e. Voice, WirelessApplication Protocol (WAP), Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML),Facsimile, Electronic Mail, Pager, and Short Message Service (SMS). Itfurther includes a VoiceXML interpreter 164 that is fully compliant withthe VoiceXML 1.0 specification, written entirely in Java®, and supportsNuance® SpeechObjects 166.

[0019] Yet another feature of the present platform 150 is its modulararchitecture, enabling “plug-and-play” capabilities. Still yet, theinstant platform 150 is extensible in that developers can create theirown custom services to extend the platform 150. For further versatility,Java® based components are supported that enable rapid development,reliability, and portability. Another web server 168 supports aweb-based development environment that provides a comprehensive set oftools and resources which developers may need to create their owninnovative speech applications.

[0020] Support for SIP and SS7 (Signaling System 7) is also provided.Backend Services 172 are also included that provide value addedfunctionality such as content management 180 and user profile management182. Still yet, there is support for external billing engines 174 andintegration of leading edge technologies from Nuance®, Oracle®, Cisco®,Natural Microsystems®, and Sun Microsystems®.

[0021] More information will now be set forth regarding the applicationlayer 154, presentation layer 152, and services layer 156.

[0022] Application Layer (154)

[0023] The application layer 154 provides a set of reusable applicationcomponents as well as the software engine for their execution. Throughthis layer, applications benefit from a reliable, scalable, and highperforming operating environment. The application server 160automatically handles lower level details such as system management,communications, monitoring, scheduling, logging, and load balancing.Some optional features associated with each of the various components ofthe application layer 154 will now be set forth.

[0024] Application Server (160)

[0025] A high performance web/JSP server that hosts the business andpresentation logic of applications.

[0026] High performance, load balanced, with failover.

[0027] Contains reusable application components and ready to useapplications.

[0028] Hosts Java Servlets and JSP's for custom applications.

[0029] Provides easy to use taglib access to platform services.

[0030] VXML Interpreter (164)

[0031] Executes VXML applications

[0032] VXML 1.0 compliant

[0033] Can execute applications hosted on either side of the firewall.

[0034] Extensions for easy access to system services such as billing.

[0035] Extensible—allows installation of custom VXML tag libraries andspeech objects.

[0036] Provides access to SpeechObjects 166 from VXML.

[0037] Integrated with debugging and monitoring tools.

[0038] Written in Java®.

[0039] Speech Objects Server (166)

[0040] Hosts SpeechObjects based components.

[0041] Provides a platform for running SpeechObjects based applications.

[0042] Contains a rich library of reusable SpeechObjects.

[0043] Services Layer (156)

[0044] The services layer 156 simplifies the development of voiceapplications by providing access to modular value-added services. Thesebackend modules deliver a complete set of functionality, and handle lowlevel processing such as error checking. Examples of services includethe content 180, user profile 182, billing 174, and portal management184 services. By this design, developers can create high performing,enterprise applications without complex programming. Some optionalfeatures associated with each of the various components of the serviceslayer 156 will now be set forth.

[0045] Content (180)

[0046] Manages content feeds and databases such as weather reports,stock quotes, and sports.

[0047] Ensures content is received and processed appropriately.

[0048] Provides content only upon authenticated request.

[0049] Communicates with logging service 186 to track content usage forauditing purposes.

[0050] Supports multiple, redundant content feeds with automaticfailover.

[0051] Sends alarms through alarm service 188.

[0052] User Profile (182)

[0053] Manages user database

[0054] Can connect to a 3^(rd) party user database 190. For example, ifa customer wants to leverage his/her own user database, this servicewill manage the connection to the external user database.

[0055] Provides user information upon authenticated request.

[0056] Alarm (188)

[0057] Provides a simple, uniform way for system components to report awide variety of alarms.

[0058] Allows for notification (Simply Network Management Protocol(SNMP), telephone, electronic mail, pager, facsimile, SMS, WAP push,etc.) based on alarm conditions.

[0059] Allows for alarm management (assignment, status tracking, etc)and integration with trouble ticketing and/or helpdesk systems.

[0060] Allows for integration of alarms into customer premiseenvironments.

[0061] Configuration Management (191)

[0062] Maintains the configuration of the entire system.

[0063] Performance Monitor (193)

[0064] Provides real time monitoring of entire system such as number ofsimultaneous users per customer, number of users in a given application,and the uptime of the system.

[0065] Enables customers to determine performance of system at anyinstance.

[0066] Portal Management (184)

[0067] The portal management service 184 maintains information on theconfiguration of each voice portal and enables customers toelectronically administer their voice portal through the administrationweb site.

[0068] Portals can be highly customized by choosing from multipleapplications and voices. For example, a customer can configure differentpackages of applications i.e. a basic package consisting of 3applications for $4.95, a deluxe package consisting of 10 applicationsfor $9.95, and premium package consisting of any 20 applications for$14.95.

[0069] Instant Messenger (192)

[0070] Detects when users are “on-line” and can pass messages such asnew voicemails and e-mails to these users.

[0071] Billing (174)

[0072] Provides billing infrastructure such as capturing and processingbillable events, rating, and interfaces to external billing systems.

[0073] Logging (186)

[0074] Logs all events sent over the JMS bus 194. Examples include UserA of Company ABC accessed Stock Quotes, application server 160 requesteddriving directions from content service 180, etc.

[0075] Location (196)

[0076] Provides geographic location of caller.

[0077] Location service sends a request to the wireless carrier or to alocation network service provider such as TimesThree ®or US Wireless.The network provider responds with the geographic location (accuratewithin 75 meters) of the cell phone caller.

[0078] Advertising (197)

[0079] Administers the insertion of advertisements within each call. Theadvertising service can deliver targeted ads based on user profileinformation.

[0080] Interfaces to external advertising services such as Wyndwire© areprovided.

[0081] Transactions (198)

[0082] Provides transaction infrastructure such as shopping cart, taxand shipping calculations, and interfaces to external payment systems.

[0083] Notification (199)

[0084] Provides external and internal notifications based on a timer oron external events such as stock price movements. For example, a usercan request that he/she receive a telephone call every day at 8 AM.

[0085] Services can request that they receive a notification to performan action at a pre-determined time. For example, the content service 180can request that it receive an instruction every night to archive oldcontent.

[0086] 3^(rd) Party Service Adapter (190)

[0087] Enables 3^(rd) parties to develop and use their own externalservices. For instance, if a customer wants to leverage a proprietarysystem, the 3^(rd) party service adapter can enable it as a service thatis available to applications.

[0088] Presentation Layer (152)

[0089] The presentation layer 152 provides the mechanism forcommunicating with the end user. While the application layer 154 managesthe application logic, the presentation layer 152 translates the corelogic into a medium that a user's device can understand. Thus, thepresentation layer 152 enables multi-modal support. For instance, endusers can interact with the platform through a telephone, WAP session,HTML session, pager, SMS, facsimile, and electronic mail. Furthermore,as new “touchpoints” emerge, additional modules can seamlessly beintegrated into the presentation layer 152 to support them.

[0090] Telephony Server (158)

[0091] The telephony server 158 provides the interface between thetelephony world, both Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN), and the applications running on theplatform. It also provides the interface to speech recognition andsynthesis engines 153. Through the telephony server 158, one caninterface to other 3^(rd) party application servers 190 such as unifiedmessaging and conferencing server. The telephony server 158 connects tothe telephony switches and “handles” the phone call.

[0092] Features of the telephony server 158 include:

[0093] Mission critical reliability.

[0094] Suite of operations and maintenance tools.

[0095] Telephony connectivity via ISDN/T1/E1, SIP and SS7 protocols.

[0096] DSP-based telephony boards offload the host, providing real-timeecho cancellation, DTMF & call progress detection, and audiocompression/decompression.

[0097] Speech Recognition Server (155)

[0098] The speech recognition server 155 performs speech recognition onreal time voice streams from the telephony server 158. The speechrecognition server 155 may support the following features:

[0099] Carrier grade scalability & reliability

[0100] Large vocabulary size

[0101] Industry leading speaker independent recognition accuracy

[0102] Recognition enhancements for wireless and hands free callers

[0103] Dynamic grammar support—grammars can be added during run time.

[0104] Multi-language support

[0105] Barge in—enables users to interrupt voice applications. Forexample, if a user hears “Please say a name of a football team thatyou,” the user can interject by saying “Miami Dolphins” before thesystem finishes.

[0106] Speech objects provide easy to use reusable components

[0107] “On the fly” grammar updates

[0108] Speaker verification

[0109] Audio Manager (157)

[0110] Manages the prompt server, text-to-speech server, and streamingaudio.

[0111] Prompt Server (153)

[0112] The Prompt server is responsible for caching and managing pre-recorded audio files for a pool of telephony servers.

[0113] Text-To-Speech Server (153)

[0114] When pre-recorded prompts are unavailable, the text -to-speechserver is responsible for transforming text input into audio output thatcan be streamed to callers on the telephony server 158. The use of theTTS server offloads the telephony server 158 and allows pools of TTSresources to be shared across several telephony servers. Featuresinclude:

[0115] Support for industry leading technologies such as SpeechWorks ®Speechify® and L&H RealSpeak®.

[0116] Standard Application Program Interface (API) for integration ofother TTS engines.

[0117] Streaming Audio

[0118] The streaming audio server enables static and dynamic audio filesto be played to the caller. For instance, a one minute audio news feedwould be handled by the streaming audio server.

[0119] Support for standard static file formats such as WAV and MP3

[0120] Support for streaming (dynamic) file formats such as Real Audio®and Windows® Media®.

[0121] PSTN Connectivity

[0122] Support for standard telephony protocols like ISDN, E&MWinkStart®, and various flavors of El allow the telephony server 158 toconnect to a PBX or local central office.

[0123] SIP Connectivity

[0124] The platform supports telephony signaling via the SessionInitiation Protocol (SIP). The SIP signaling is independent of the audiostream, which is typically provided as a G.711 RTP stream. The use of aSIP enabled network can be used to provide many powerful featuresincluding:

[0125] Flexible call routing

[0126] Call forwarding

[0127] Blind & supervised transfers

[0128] Location/presence services

[0129] Interoperable with SIP compliant devices such as soft switches

[0130] Direct connectivity to SIP enabled carriers and networks

[0131] Connection to SS7 and standard telephony networks (via gateways)

[0132] Admin Web Server

[0133] Serves as the primary interface for customers.

[0134] Enables portal management services and provides billing andsimple reporting information. It also permits customers to enter problemticket orders, modify application content such as advertisements, andperform other value added functions.

[0135] Consists of a website with backend logic tied to the services andapplication layers. Access to the site is limited to those with a validuser id and password and to those coming from a registered IP address.Once logged in, customers are presented with a homepage that providesaccess to all available customer resources.

[0136] Other (168)

[0137] Web-based development environment that provides all the tools andresources developers need to create their own speech applications.

[0138] Provides a VoiceXML Interpreter that is:

[0139] Compliant with the VoiceXML 1.0 specification.

[0140] Compatible with compelling, location-relevant SpeechObjects—including grammars for nationwide US street addresses.

[0141] Provides unique tools that are critical to speech applicationdevelopment such as a vocal player. The vocal player addresses usabilitytesting by giving developers convenient access to audio files of realuser interactions with their speech applications. This provides aninvaluable feedback loop for improving dialogue design.

[0142] WAP, HTML, SMS, Email, Pager, and Fax Gateways

[0143] Provide access to external browsing devices.

[0144] Manage (establish, maintain, and terminate) connections toexternal browsing and output devices.

[0145] Encapsulate the details of communicating with external device.

[0146] Support both input and output on media where appropriate. Forinstance, both input from and output to WAP devices.

[0147] Reliably deliver content and notifications.

[0148]FIG. 2 shows a representative hardware environment associated withthe various systems, i.e. computers, servers, etc., of FIG. 1. FIG. 2illustrates a typical hardware configuration of a workstation inaccordance with a preferred embodiment having a central processing unit210, such as a microprocessor, and a number of other unitsinterconnected via a system bus 212.

[0149] The workstation shown in FIG. 2 includes a Random Access Memory(RAM) 214, Read Only Memory (ROM) 216, an I/O adapter 218 for connectingperipheral devices such as disk storage units 220 to the bus 212, a userinterface adapter 222 for connecting a keyboard 224, a mouse 226, aspeaker 228, a microphone 232, and/or other user interface devices suchas a touch screen (not shown) to the bus 212, communication adapter 234for connecting the workstation to a communication network (e.g., a dataprocessing network) and a display adapter 236 for connecting the bus 212to a display device 238. The workstation typically has resident thereonan operating system such as the Microsoft Windows NT or Windows/95Operating System (OS), the IBM OS/2 operating system, the MAC OS, orUNIX operating system. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that thepresent invention may also be implemented on platforms and operatingsystems other than those mentioned.

[0150]FIG. 3 illustrates a method 300 for handling unregistered callersin a voice recognition framework. The present method may be carriedutilizing the platform 150 and hardware set forth in FIGS. 1 and 2,and/or any other desired architecture.

[0151] Initially, in operation 302, a call is received from a user whowishes to obtain the service(s) offered by the voice recognition system.More information regarding various examples of such services will be setforth hereinafter in greater detail.

[0152] Information relating to the user is then looked-up in a database,as indicated in operation 304. As an option, call description records(CDRs) may be used to access the information. For example, a CDR may beused to identify the caller by name, phone number, etc. To this end,such identification may, in turn, be used to look-up further informationthe database. In the alternative, the information may refer to only thedata stored in the CDR. CDRs traditionally provide a record of callednumbers, and a date, time, length and so on of each telephone call.

[0153] From the information gathered in operation 304, it is determinedwhether a user is registered in decision 305. To accomplish this, theinformation gathered in operation 304 may be compared against a databaseof registered users, or by way of any other desired technique. If it isdetermined that the user is not registered, a registration process isexecuted in operation 306. Additional descriptions regarding suchregistration process will be set forth in greater detail duringreference to FIG. 4.

[0154] Once registered, utterances may be received from the user andrecognized for the purpose of providing a service to the user. Noteoperation 308. In use, the information retrieved in operation 304 andthe registration process of operation 306 may be used when providing theservice by modifying, enhancing, etc. the same. This may allow thepersonalization of the services and/or facilitating additionalcapabilities.

[0155] Examples of the various services that may be provided inoperation 306 will now be set forth. It should be noted that anyservices may be afforded per the desires of the user.

[0156] The speech recognition system of the present invention mayprovide a plurality of voice portal applications that can bepersonalized based on a caller's location, delivered to any device andcustomized via an open development platform. Examples of variousspecific voice portal applications are set forth in Table 1. TABLE 1Nationwide Business Finder - search engine for locating businessesrepresenting popular brands demanded by mobile consumers. NationwideDriving Directions - point-to-point driving directions Worldwide FlightInformation - up-to-the-minute flight information on major domestic andinternational carriers Nationwide Traffic Updates - real-time trafficinformation for metropolitan areas Worldwide Weather - updates andextended forecasts throughout the world News - audio feeds providing thelatest national and world headlines, as well as regular updates forbusiness, technology, finance, sports, health and entertainment newsSports - up-to-the-minute scores and highlights from the NFL, MajorLeague Baseball, NHL, NBA, college football, basketball, hockey, tennis,auto racing, golf, soccer and boxing Stock Quotes - access to majorindices and all stocks on the NYSE, NASDAQ, and AMEX exchangesInfotainment - updates on soap operas, television dramas, lotterynumbers and horoscopes

[0157]FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the method for registering auser, in accordance with operation 306 of FIG. 3. Prior to theregistration process beginning, directions may be given to the userexplaining the registration process and the method by which the user mayexit the same.

[0158] As shown in operation 402, an account number is received. Suchaccount number may identify the telecommunication carrier from which theuser was transferred to the registration process. The account number mayidentify a “1-800” number, or any other phone from which the user wastransferred.

[0159] As an option, a different type of unique user account number maybe established for the user in order to facilitate future access to thespeech recognition system. Such account number may be used during futuretransactions for allowing the user to access the speech recognitionsystem of the present invention. Moreover, the account number may beused for storing and tracking various information relating to the userfor a more personalized experience.

[0160] Further, in operation 404, at least one phone number of the useris retrieved and stored for reference purposes. In an ideal embodiment,multiple numbers are retrieved and stored, i.e. cellular phone number,facsimile number, electronic mail address, etc.

[0161] Still yet, a personal identification number (PIN) may beestablished and verified in operation 406. Such step is important forsecurity purposes when the user accesses the present invention in futureinstances.

[0162] Thereafter, various information may be collected in operation 408of FIG. 4. As mentioned earlier, the information retrieved during theregistration process 306 may be used when providing the service bymodifying, enhancing, etc. the same.

[0163] In one embodiment of the present invention, the registrationprocess collects information including a gender of the user, an addressof the user, birthday, a city in which the user resides, and/or anyother type general purpose data. Still yet, billing information may bereceived including a billing address and a method of payment, i.e.credit card number, etc. As an option, preferences of the user may becollected. In one embodiment of the present invention, the preferencesmay include, personalization information, data relating to a stockportfolio of the user, and/or sports of interest to the user.

[0164] It should be understood that the information may be entered bythe user utilizing any one or more of various possible methods. Forexample, a computer coupled to a network, i.e. the Internet, similar tothat shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be used. In such embodiment, a userinterface on the computer may be used while the user is on thetelephone. Such user interface may take the form of a web-page or thelike. Of course, the registration process need not necessarily occursimultaneously with the process of FIG. 3.

[0165] In another embodiment, the information may be entered entirelyverbally utilizing an automated telephone attendant system. In stillanother embodiment, the information may be entered verbally in real-timeby way of a live attendant.

[0166] As yet another option, promotion information may be provided tothe user during the registration process. For example, variouspromotions associated with the services provided by the speechrecognition system may be offered to the user. In particular, couponsmay be distributed, etc. After the registration process is complete, thepresent embodiment is capable of returning the user to a main menu inorder to allow the user to obtain any desired service. Note operation410.

[0167] The manner in which the user is returned from the registrationprocess may vary from embodiment to embodiment. By way of example, oneembodiment may monitor key words provided verbally by the user. Upon thereceipt and detection of such key words, the user may be returned fromthe process. As an option, the present embodiment may monitor for suchkey words throughout the entire registration process, and return theuser immediately upon receipt of the keyword.

[0168] One embodiment of the present invention may utilize VoiceXML.VoiceXML is a Web-based markup language for representing human-computerdialogs, similar to HTML. However, while HTML assumes a graphical webbrowser, with display, keyboard, and mouse, VoiceXML is assumes a “voicebrowser” with audio output (computer-synthesized and/or recorded), andaudio input (voice and/or keypad tones). VoiceXML leverages the Internetfor voice application development and delivery, greatly simplifyingthese difficult tasks and creating new opportunities.

[0169]FIG. 5 is a schematic illustrating the manner in which VoiceXMLfunctions, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Atypical VoiceXML voice browser 500 of today runs on a specialized voicegateway node 502 that is connected both to the public switched telephonenetwork 504 and to the Internet 506. As shown, VoiceXML 508 acts as aninterface between the voice gateway node 502 and the Internet 506.

[0170] VoiceXML takes advantage of several trends:

[0171] The growth of the World-Wide Web and of its capabilities.

[0172] Improvements in computer-based speech recognition andtext-to-speech synthesis.

[0173] The spread of the WWW beyond the desktop computer.

[0174] Voice application development is easier because Voice XML is ahigh-level, domain-specific markup language, and because voiceapplications can now be constructed with plentiful, inexpensive, andpowerful web application development tools.

[0175] VoiceXML is based on XML. XML is a general and highly flexiblerepresentation of any type of data, and various transformationtechnologies make it easy to map one XML structure to another, or to mapXML into other data formats.

[0176] VoiceXML is an extensible markup language (XML) for the creationof automated speech recognition (ASR) and interactive voice response(IVR) applications. Based on the XML tag/attribute format, the VoiceXMLsyntax involves enclosing instructions (items) within a tag structure inthe following manner:

[0177] < element_name attribute_name=“attribute value”>

[0178] ......contained items......

[0179] < /element_name>

[0180] A VoiceXML application consists of one or more text files calleddocuments. These document files are denoted by a “.vxml” file extensionand contain the various VoiceXML instructions for the application. It isrecommended that the first instruction in any document to be seen by theinterpreter be the XML version tag:

[0181] < ?xml version=“1.0”?>

[0182] The remainder of the document's instructions should be enclosedby the vxml tag with the version attribute set equal to the version ofVoiceXML being used (“1.0” in the present case) as follows:

[0183] < vxml version=“1.0”>

[0184] Inside of the <vxml> tag, a document is broken up into discretedialog elements called forms.

[0185] Each form has a name and is responsible for executing someportion of the dialog. For example, you may have a form called“mainMenu” that prompts the caller to make a selection from a list ofoptions and then recognizes the response.

[0186] A form is denoted by the use of the <form>tag and can bespecified by the inclusion of the id attribute to specify the form'sname. This is useful if the form is to be referenced at some other pointin the application or by another application. For example, <formid=“welcome”> would indicate in a VoiceXML document the beginning of the“welcome” form.

[0187] Following is a list of form items available in one specificationof VoiceXML:

[0188] Field Items:

[0189] <field>—gathers input from the user via speech or DTMFrecognition as defined by a grammar

[0190] <record>—records an audio clip from the user

[0191] <transfer>—transfers the user to another phone number

[0192] <object>—invokes a platform-specific object that may gather userinput, returning the result as an ECMAScript object

[0193] <subdialog>—performs a call to another dialog or document(similarto a function call), returning the result as an ECMAScript object

[0194] Control Items:

[0195] <block>—encloses a sequence of statements for prompting andcomputation

[0196] <initial>—controls mixed-initiative interactions within a form

[0197] Another preferred embodiment of the present invention is writtenusing JAVA, C, and the C++ language and utilizes object orientedprogramming methodology. Object oriented programming (OOP) has becomeincreasingly used to develop complex applications. As OOP moves towardthe mainstream of softw are design and development, various softwaresolutions require adaptation to make use of the benefits of OOP. A needexists for these principles of OOP to be applied to a messaginginterface of an electronic messaging system such that a set of OOPclasses and objects for the messaging interface can be provided.

[0198] OOP is a process of developing computer software using objects,including the steps of analyzing the problem, designing the system, andconstructing the program. An object is a software package that containsboth data and a collection of related structures and procedures. Sinceit contains both data and a collection of structures and procedures, itcan be visualized as a self-sufficient component that does not requireother additional structures, procedures or data to perform its specifictask. OOP, therefore, views a computer program as a collection oflargely autonomous components, called objects, each of which isresponsible for a specific task. This concept of packaging data,structures, and procedures together in one component or module is calledencapsulation.

[0199] In general, OOP components are reusable software modules whichpresent an interface that conforms to an object model and which areaccessed at run-time through a component integration architecture. Acomponent integration architecture is a set of architecture mechanismswhich allow software modules in different process spaces to utilize eachothers capabilities or functions. This is generally done by assuming acommon component object model on which to build the architecture. It isworthwhile to differentiate between an object and a class of objects atthis point. An object is a single instance of the class of objects,which is often just called a class. A class of objects can be viewed asa blueprint, from which many objects can be formed.

[0200] OOP allows the programmer to create an object that is a part ofanother object. For example, the object representing a piston engine issaid to have a composition-relationship with the object representing apiston. In reality, a piston engine comprises a piston, valves and manyother components; the fact that a piston is an element of a pistonengine can be logically and semantically represented in OOP by twoobjects.

[0201] OOP also allows creation of an object that “depends from” anotherobject. If there are two objects, one representing a piston engine andthe other representing a piston engine wherein the piston is made ofceramic, then the relationship between the two objects is not that ofcomposition. A ceramic piston engine does not make up a piston engine.Rather it is merely one kind of piston engine that has one morelimitation than the piston engine; its piston is made of ceramic. Inthis case, the object representing the ceramic piston engine is called aderived object, and it inherits all of the aspects of the objectrepresenting the piston engine and adds further limitation or detail toit. The object representing the ceramic piston engine “depends from” theobject representing the piston engine. The relationship between theseobjects is called inheritance.

[0202] When the object or class representing the ceramic piston engineinherits all of the aspects of the objects representing the pistonengine, it inherits the thermal characteristics of a standard pistondefined in the piston engine class. However, the ceramic piston engineobject overrides these ceramic specific thermal characteristics, whichare typically different from those associated with a metal piston. Itskips over the original and uses new functions related to ceramicpistons. Different kinds of piston engines have differentcharacteristics, but may have the same underlying functions associatedwith it (e.g., how many pistons in the engine, ignition sequences,lubrication, etc.). To access each of these functions in any pistonengine object, a programmer would call the same functions with the samenames, but each type of piston engine may have different/overridingimplementations of functions behind the same name. This ability to hidedifferent implementations of a function behind the same name is calledpolymorphism and it greatly simplifies communication among objects.

[0203] With the concepts of composition-relationship, encapsulation,inheritance and polymorphism, an object can represent just aboutanything in the real world. In fact, one's logical perception of thereality is the only limit on determining the kinds of things that canbecome objects in object-oriented software. Some typical categories areas follows:

[0204] Objects can represent physical objects, such as automobiles in atraffic -flow simulation, electrical components in a circuit-designprogram, countries in an economics model, or aircraft in an air-traffic-control system.

[0205] Objects can represent elements of the computer-user environmentsuch as windows, menus or graphics objects.

[0206] An object can represent an inventory, such as a personnel file ora table of the latitudes and longitudes of cities.

[0207] An object can represent user -defined data types such as time,angles, and complex numbers, or points on the plane.

[0208] With this enormous capability of an object to represent justabout any logically separable matters, OOP allows the software developerto design and implement a computer program that is a model of some aspects of reality, whether that reality is a physical entity, a process,a system, or a composition of matter. Since the object can representanything, the software developer can create an object which can be usedas a component in a larger software project in the future.

[0209] If 90% of a new OOP software program consists of proven, existingcomponents made from preexisting reusable objects, then only theremaining 10% of the new software project has to be written and testedfrom scratch. Since 90% already cam e from an inventory of extensivelytested reusable objects, the potential domain from which an error couldoriginate is 10% of the program. As a result, OOP enables softwaredevelopers to build objects out of other, previously built objects.

[0210] This process closely resembles complex machinery being built outof assemblies and sub-assemblies. OOP technology, therefore, makessoftware engineering more like hardware engineering in that software isbuilt from existing components, which are available to the developer asobjects. All this adds up to an improved quality of the software as wellas an increased speed of its development.

[0211] Programming languages are beginning to fully support the OOPprinciples, such as encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, and cornposition-relationship. With the advent of the C++ language, manycommercial software developers have embraced OOP. C++ is an OOP languagethat offers a fast, machine -executable code. Furthermore, C++ issuitable for both commercial -application and systems-programmingprojects. For now, C++ appears to be the most popular choice among manyOOP programmers, but there is a host of other OOP languages, such asSmalltalk, Common Lisp Object System (CLOS), and Eiffel. Additionally,OOP capabilities are being added to more traditional popular computerprogramming languages such as Pascal.

[0212] The benefits of object classes can be summarized, as follows:

[0213] Objects and their corresponding classes break down complexprogramming problems into many smaller, simpler problems.

[0214] Encapsulation enforces data abstraction through the organizationof data into small, independent objects that can communicate with eachother. Encapsulation protects the data in an object from accidentaldamage, but allows other objects to interact with that data by callingthe object's member functions and structures.

[0215] Subclassing and inheritance make it possible to extend and modifyobjects through deriving new kinds of objects from the standard classesavailable in the system. Thus, new capabilities are created withouthaving to start from scratch.

[0216] Polymorphism and multiple inheritance make it possible fordifferent programmers to mix and match characteristics of many differentclasses and create specialized objects that can still work with relatedobjects in predictable ways.

[0217] Class hierarchies and containment hierarchies provide a flexiblemechanism for modeling real-world objects and the relationships amongthem.

[0218] Libraries of reusable classes are useful in many situations, butthey also have some limitations. For example:

[0219] Complexity. In a complex system, the class hierarchies forrelated classes can become extremely confusing, with many dozens or evenhundreds of classes.

[0220] Flow of control. A program written with the aid of classlibraries is still responsible for the flow of control (i.e., it mustcontrol the interactions among all the objects created from a particularlibrary). The programmer has to decide which functions to call at whattimes for which kinds of objects.

[0221] Duplication of effort. Although class libraries allow programmersto use and reuse many small pieces of code, each programmer puts thosepieces together in a different way. Two different programmers can usethe same set of class libraries to write two programs that do exactlythe same thing but whose internal structure (i.e., design) may be quitedifferent, depending on hundreds of small decisions each programmermakes along the way. Inevitably, similar pieces of code end up doingsimilar things in slightly dif ferent ways and do not work as welltogether as they should.

[0222] Class libraries are very flexible. As programs grow more complex,more programmers are forced to reinvent basic solutions to basicproblems over and over again. A relatively new extension of the classlibrary concept is to have a framework of class libraries. Thisframework is more complex and consists of significant collections ofcollaborating classes that capture both the small -scale patterns andmajor mechanisms that implement the common requirements and design in aspecific application domain. They were first developed to freeapplication programmers from the chores involved in displaying menus,windows, dialog boxes, and other standard user interface elements forpersonal computers.

[0223] Frameworks also represent a change in the way programmers thinkabout the interaction between the code they write and code written byothers. In the early days of procedural programming, the programmercalled libraries provided by the operating system to perform certaintasks, but basically the program executed down the page from start tofinish, and the programmer was solely responsible for the flow ofcontrol. This was appropriate for printing out paychecks, calculating amathematical table, or solving other problems with a program thatexecuted in just one way.

[0224] The development of graphical user interfaces began to turn thisprocedural programming arrangement inside out. These interfaces allowthe user, rather than program logic, to drive the program and decidewhen certain actions should be performed. Today, most personal computersoftware accomplishes this by means of an event loop which monitors themouse, keyboard, and other sources of external events and calls theappropriate parts of the programmer's code according to actions that theuser performs. The programmer no longer determines the order in whichevents occur. Instead, a program is divided into separate pieces thatare called at unpredictable times and in an unpredictable order. Byrelinquishing control in this way to users, the developer creates aprogram that is much easier to use. Nevertheless, individual pieces ofthe program written by the developer still call libraries provided bythe operating system to accomplish certain tasks, and the programmermust still determine the flow of control within each piece after it'scalled by the event loop. Application code still “sits on top of” thesystem.

[0225] Even event loop programs require programmers to write a lot ofcode that should not need to be written separately for everyapplication. The concept of an application framework carries the eventloop concept further. Instead of dealing with all the nuts and bolts ofconstructing basic menus, windows, and dialog boxes and then makingthese things all work together, programmers using application frameworksstart with working application code and basic user interface elements inplace. Subsequently, they build from there by replacing some of thegeneric capabilities of the framework with the specific capabilities ofthe intended application.

[0226] Application frameworks reduce the total amount of code that aprogrammer has to write from scratch. However, because the framework isreally a generic application that displays windows, supports copy andpaste, and so on, the programmer can also relinquish control to agreater degree than event loop programs permit. The framework code takescare of almost all event handling and flow of control, and theprogrammer's code is called only when the framework needs it (e.g., tocreate or manipulate a proprietary data structure).

[0227] A programmer writing a framework program not only relinquishescontrol to the user (as is also true for event loop programs), but alsorelinquishes the detailed flow of control within the program to theframework. This approach allows the creation of more complex systemsthat work together in interesting ways, as opposed to isolated programs,having custom code, being created over and over again for similarproblems.

[0228] Thus, as is explained above, a framework basically is acollection of cooperating classes that make up a reusable designsolution for a given problem domain. It typically includes objects thatprovide default behavior (e.g., for menus and windows), and programmersuse it by inheriting some of that default behavior and overriding otherbehavior so that the framework calls application code at the appropriatetimes.

[0229] There are three main differences between frameworks and classlibraries:

[0230] Behavior versus protocol. Class libraries are essentiallycollections of behaviors that you can call when you want thoseindividual behaviors in your program. A framework, on the other hand,provides not only behavior but also the protocol or set of rules thatgovern the ways in which behaviors can be combined, including rules forwhat a programmer is supposed to provide versus what the frameworkprovides.

[0231] Call versus override. With a class library, the code theprogrammer instantiates objects and calls their member functions. It'spossibl e to instantiate and call objects in the same way with aframework (i.e., to treat the framework as a class library), but to takefull advantage of a framework's reusable design, a programmer typicallywrites code that overrides and is called by the framework. The frameworkmanages the flow of control among its objects. Writing a programinvolves dividing responsibilities among the various pieces of softwarethat are called by the framework rather than specifying how thedifferent pieces should work together.

[0232] Implementation versus design. With class libraries, programmersreuse only implementations, whereas with frameworks, they reuse design.A framework embodies the way a family of related programs or pieces ofsoftware work. It represents a generic design solution that can beadapted to a variety of specific problems in a given domain. Forexample, a single framework can embody the way a user interface works,even though two different user interfaces created with the sameframework might solve quite different interface problems.

[0233] Thus, through the development of frameworks for solutions tovarious problems and programming tasks, significant reductions in thedesign and development effort for software can be achieved. A preferredembodiment of the invention utilizes HyperText Markup Language (HTML) toimplement documents on the Internet together with a general-purposesecure communication protocol for a transport medium between the clientand the Newco. HTTP or other protocols could be readily substituted forHTML without undue experimentation. Information on these products isavailable in T. Berners-Lee, D. Connoly, “RFC 1866: Hypertext MarkupLanguage—2.0” (November 1995); and R. Fielding, H, Frystyk, T.Berners-Lee, J. Gettys and J. C. Mogul, “Hypertext TransferProtocol—HTTP/1.1: HTTP Working Group Internet Draft” (May 2, 1996).HTML is a simple data format used to create hypertext documents that areportable from one platform to another. HTML documents are SGML documentswith generic semantics that are appropriate for representing informationfrom a wide range of domains. HTML has been in use by the World-Wide Webglobal information initiative since 1990. HTML is an application of ISOStandard 8879; 1986 Information Processing Text and Office Systems;Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML).

[0234] To date, Web development tools have been limited in their abilityto create dynamic Web applications which span from client to server andinteroperate with existing computing resources. Until recently, HTML hasbeen the dominant technology used in development of Web-based solutions.However, HTML has proven to be inadequate in the following areas:

[0235] Poor performance;

[0236] Restricted user interface capabilities;

[0237] Can only produce static Web pages;

[0238] Lack of interoperability with existing applications and data; and

[0239] Inability to scale.

[0240] Sun Microsystem's Java language solves many of the client-sideproblems by:

[0241] Improving performance on the client side;

[0242] Enabling the creation of dynamic, real-time Web applications; and

[0243] Providing the ability to create a wide variety of user interfacecomponents.

[0244] With Java, developers can create robust User Interface (UI)components. Custom “widgets” (e.g., real-time stock tickers, animatedicons, etc.) can be created, and client-side performance is improved.Unlike HTML, Java supports the notion of client-side validation,offloading appropriate processing onto the client for improvedperformance. Dynamic, real-time Web pages can be created. Using theabove-mentioned custom UI components, dynamic Web pages can also becreated.

[0245] Sun's Java language has emerged as an industry-recognizedlanguage for “programming the Internet.” Sun defines Java as: “a simple,object-oriented, distributed, interpreted, robust, secure,architecture-neutral, portable, high-performance, multithreaded,dynamic, buzzword-compliant, general -purpose programming language. Javasupports programming for the Internet in the form ofplatform-independent Java applets.” Java applets are small, specia lizedapplications that comply with Sun's Java Application ProgrammingInterface (API) allowing developers to add “interactive content” to Webdocuments (e.g., simple animations, page adornments, basic games, etc.).Applets execute within a Java -compatible browser (e.g., NetscapeNavigator) by copying code from the server to client. From a languagestandpoint, Java's core feature set is based on C++. Sun's Javaliterature states that Java is basically, “C++ with extensions fromObjective C for more dynamic method resolution.”

[0246] Another technology that provides similar function to JAVA isprovided by Microsoft and ActiveX Technologies, to give developers andWeb designers wherewithal to build dynamic content for the Internet andpersonal computers. ActiveX includes tools for developing animation, 3-Dvirtual reality, video and other multimedia content. The tools useInternet standards, work on multiple platforms, and are being supportedby over 100 companies. The group's building blocks are called ActiveXControls, small, fast components that enable developers to embed partsof software in hypertext markup language (HTML) pages. ActiveX Controlswork with a variety of programming languages including Microsoft VisualC++, Borland Delphi, Microsoft Visual Basic programming system and, inthe future, Microsoft's development tool for Java, code named “Jakarta.”ActiveX Technologies also includes ActiveX Server Framework, allowingdevelopers to create server applications. One of ordinary skill in theart readily recognizes that ActiveX could be substituted for JAVAwithout undue experimentation to practice the invention.

[0247] While various embodiments have been described above, it should beunderstood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not1 imitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of a preferred embodimentshould not be limited by any of the above-described exemplaryembodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the followingclaims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for handling unregistered callers in avoice recognition framework, comprising the steps of: (a) determiningwhether a user is registered; (b) executing a registration process if itis determined that the user is not registered; (c) receiving utterancesfrom the user; and (d) recognizing the utterances for the purpose ofproviding a service to the user.
 2. The method as recited in claim 1,wherein the registration process includes collecting information.
 3. Themethod as recited in claim 2, wherein the information includes at leastone phone number of the user.
 4. The method as recited in claim 2,wherein the information includes a gender of the user.
 5. The method asrecited in claim 2, wherein the information includes billinginformation.
 6. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein theinformation includes an address of the user.
 7. The method as recited inclaim 2, wherein the information includes preferences.
 8. The method asrecited in claim 1, wherein the preferences are selected from the groupconsisting of personalization information, data relating to a stockportfolio of the user, and sports of interest to the user.
 9. The methodas recited in claim 7, wherein the preferences include personalizationinformation, data relating to a stock portfolio of the user, and sportsof interest to the user.
 10. The method as recited in claim 2, whereinthe information is entered by the user utilizing a computer coupled to anetwork.
 11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the networkincludes the Internet.
 12. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein theinformation is entered verbally utilizing a telephone.
 13. The method asrecited in claim 12, wherein the information is entered verballyutilizing a telephone by way of an attendant.
 14. The method as recitedin claim 2, wherein the information is used when providing the service.15. The method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising the step ofpresenting promotion information to the user during the registrationprocess.
 16. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the informationincludes a city in which the user resides.
 17. A computer programproduct for handling unregistered callers in a voice recognitionframework, comprising: (a) computer code for determining whether a useris registered; (b) computer code for executing a registration process ifit is determined that the user is not registered; (c) computer code forreceiving utterances from the user; and (d) computer code forrecognizing the utterances for the purpose of providing a service to theuser.
 18. A system for handling unregistered callers in a voicerecognition framework, comprising: (a) logic for determining whether auser is registered; (b) logic for executing a registration process if itis determined that the user is not registered; (c) logic for receivingutterances from the user; and (d) logic for recognizing the utterancesfor the purpose of providing a service to the user.